A/N: Woo-hoo, well, I'm not only updating within a week, but bringing you what will probably be the next to last chapter of this fic. It's a long one! Hope you enjoy.

And, shameless self-promotion time—three of my stories (including this one!) been nominated for four CCoAC Profiler's Choice Awards! To vote, go to the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum and take a gander at the rules, then fill out the form! Easy-peasy.

Okay, back to the story...

Love,

Seds

I got into the back of Prentiss' car and Reid slid in beside her. She burned rubber and got us on the road in a matter of seconds, leaving the line of slow-ass drivers behind us to uselessly lay on their horns and cuss at our receding bumper.

Once we were past the worst of it, Reid turned to Prentiss and said, "Tell me what happened."

Prentiss shook her head slightly and shrugged. "I'm not sure. The trial's been hard on Pen, you know that. This morning she complained that her stomach hurt, and I thought it was just nerves. But after we left the courthouse, she told me she'd started bleeding. She was beginning to panic, so I drove her straight to the hospital. They admitted her right away... but, after they took her back, they wouldn't let me see her. Only her husband or family member can be with her, they said." Prentiss glanced at Reid. "The nurse came out and told me she was asking for you. But she wouldn't give me any information about Pen's condition." She turned back to watching the road as she navigated through heavy traffic.

"I'm sorry," Reid said in a low voice. "I'm sorry you couldn't be with her."

"I just hope she's all right. My father was a doctor. He used to talk about women who'd start bleeding in childbirth, and—"

"Don't." Reid leaned his head back. "I'm sure she's fine. The baby, too. They'll take care of her at the hospital, everything'll be all right."

"Yeah..."

After that, no one spoke until we pulled into the hospital parking lot. Reid jumped out and ran to the emergency entrance; Prentiss followed, striding as quickly as she could in her high heels, which was pretty damn fast because I had to take it at a smart clip to keep up with her.

We got to the waiting room just in time to see Reid being escorted through a set of double doors by a nurse. I took a seat and watched Prentiss peer through the windows after him. She sighed and then came to sit next to me.

"This is killing me."

"I know." I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but I squeezed her hand. She suddenly looked at me like she'd just remembered I was there; she gave me a weak smile.

"She wants this baby so much."

"She's going to be a good mom."

She hmph'd. "If the baby makes it."

"He will." I looked at the expression on her face—half scornful, half teary-eyed—and added, "Don't be such a sad sack. Everything'll be all right, you just wait and see."

I got a sharp tone and a sneer for my trouble. "You believe in the Easter Bunny, too?" Prentiss wrapped her arms around herself and stared toward the emergency room doors. After a minute, she glanced back at me. "Hey—I'm sorry, you're just trying to be nice."

"Don't worry about it. I know this is scary."

She nodded. "I imagine it's hard on you, too."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Seeing Reid again. Pen told me some stuff about why you went back to Chicago when you really wanted to stay here. With him, I mean."

I looked down at my hands, choosing my words. "He's doing the right thing, staying here for Penny and the baby. I honor that. But, I have to do what I think is right, too. And, yeah. It's hard."

Prentiss sighed. "I feel like the bad guy in all this."

"How so?"

"If I hadn't come along, Spence and Penny would be looking forward to raising a family together. Instead, they're split apart. But, when they have a kid... They'll always have obligations to each other."

I thought that over, analyzing the wistfulness in her voice. Finally I said, "You're about to be a parent, too. You do want this baby, don't you?"

She shrugged slightly. "Of course."

"You're not convincing me."

She gave me a grim look and I could tell she was sizing me up, deciding what to say to a fellow who was little more than a casual acquaintance of hers. Finally, she relaxed. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to be a mom, to be honest. And... I guess I was hoping that Pen and I could start a life together without her being so tied to Spencer. I mean, he's a sweetheart, and I know they'll always be close, but with a child... She'll never really be mine, you know? Not completely." She drew in a long breath and gazed toward the double doors. "I guess that's terrible, isn't it? I guess I should have done what you did, step back and let them be together. But I couldn't." She gave me a shame-faced glance. "I'm not a good enough person. I'm just not strong enough."

I felt a little jolt of surprise—it hadn't occurred to me that she'd been standing in the exact same spot as me all along. I shook my head. "I'm not judging you, Emily. I—"

Just then, Reid came out and strode toward us, a smile of relief on his face.

"The baby's fine. And Penelope's going to be okay. The doctor said she's been under too much tension because of the trial and that she needs bed rest for a few weeks. In fact, she'll have to take it easy for the rest of the pregnancy, but everything should be all right." He sank into the chair on the other side of me and wiped his brow with a handkerchief.

"What about the bleeding?" Prentiss asked worriedly.

"It was just a bit of spotting. The doctor said that's not unusual." He heaved a big sigh, blowing air between his lips that sent a stand of his long hair flying. He gestured toward the door. "She wants to see you, Em. They said you could go on back."

Prentiss was on her way in nothing flat. I turned to look at Reid—he seemed to have dissolved into the chair, all gangly arms and legs sticking up as if his muscles had called it quits. I gave him a little shot on the arm. "Hey, that's good news, man. I'm happy for you."

He grinned. "Emily's going to have her hands full, trying to keep Penelope still for the next few months. She'll have to tie her down."

"Yeah. Miss Penny's a live wire all right." I leaned back again, wondering what to do now that the heat was off. I wanted to stay, but I knew it wasn't my place to hang around. Still, Reid began to chat aimlessly, reeling off some information about hospitals and maternity wards and how likely the chances were whether the kid would turn out to be a boy or a girl, and I got the feeling he didn't want me to leave. So I just got as comfortable as possible in the stiff hospital chair and let him talk. It seemed to help him.

After a while, Prentiss came back. She had the same relieved expression on her face that Reid had been sporting earlier and she pointed at me. "She's asking for the healing presence of the magnificent bronze Adonis," she said, amused. "I'm guessing that would be you."

Reid and I both laughed.

"I think you're right." I stood up and went to the door, where a nurse met me and led me to the room where Penelope was recovering. I walked in and said, "Hey, pretty lady. I hear you got a little too worked up over my handsome kisser and had to lie down for a while!" I went to sit by her bed; she had her blonde hair tied up in pigtails and her makeup needed freshening, but she looked beautiful just the same. Her swollen tummy made a little round mound under the sheet.

"You know it, slugger. Just one look at you and I feel like a million bucks." She smiled and held out her hand. "How are you?"

"Me? Who the hell cares about me, this is all about you and that little tadpole in there."

"It certainly is, but the queen bee cares for her subjects." Her teasing tone quieted and she squeezed my hand. "Must be rough, seeing Spencey again, huh?"

"That little squirt? Aw, hell no, I'd forgotten all about him 'til I saw him at the trial."

She smiled gently. "You're a lousy liar."

I really didn't want to talk about my broken heart. "Listen, I'm happy for you, and I'm happy for Reid. You'll be great parents. That's all there is to it, okay? Now, you just need to lie back and relax, and tell me what kind of names you got picked out."

I was fiddling with the edge of her blanket so I wouldn't have to look her in the face, but I could feel her eyes locked on me. "Derek? Look at me, please."

I made myself do as she asked. "What?"

"I never meant for you two to be apart."

"He's your husband."

"Yes. I wanted that because I want my baby to have his name. But, sweetie, he's more than that." She shifted in her bed and cupped my chin. "He's my friend. Nothing's going to change that, ever. Not my girlfriend, not his boyfriend, not even this little critter growing in my tummy. So, quit being so goddamn noble and go claim what's yours."

I felt my throat tightening up and shook my head. "He's not mine."

"Oh, the hell he's not. I could see he belonged to you the first time he told me he met you. Why'd you have to go and screw it up?"

"Penelope, I—"

"Oh, my God, you don't understand do you? Let me see if I can explain. Why do you think I moved in with Emily?"

I frowned, taken aback by the question. "Because you love her?"

"Yes, absolutely, but it wasn't just that. I left because I wanted Spence to be free. I wanted him to go to Chicago, to make you come back and be with him. If we hadn't found out about the baby when we did, I think he would have gone, too." She patted my cheek. "He just got confused. You need to go straighten him out. Will you do that?"

"I—" Damned if I wasn't choking up to where I couldn't speak.

"Do it. If not for yourself, if not for him, do it for me."

"You?"

"Yeah! Who's going to make me feel like a Hollywood movie star after I've had this baby if you go away again?"

I pulled myself together and laughed. "Baby girl, you are one in a million. But, I can't. I can't come between a man and his wife—"

"You're not coming between us. You'll be doing me a favor."

"A favor?"

"Of course. I love Emily and I want to be with her the rest of my life. But I want Spencer to be happy, too. I can't enjoy my good fortune if he's alone and miserable. So, get off your gorgeous butt and go home to him. He needs you." She took my hand. "He loves you—and you love him. Surely you know that."

I closed my eyes as I nodded. "Yeah. I do know that." When I looked back at her, she was beaming triumphantly.

"Then it's settled! You'll come up here to be a G-man for Gideon or one of Hotch's undercover dicks or whatever, and I can quit worrying about everything but having this baby! Right?" she prompted.

I stared at her for a moment. "I don't know, honey. I have to think about it some more."

She shot me an ominous scowl. "Well, okay. But don't take too long. I may be knocked up, but I can still throw a coffee cup like Babe Ruth throws a baseball."

"Uh—he's a batter."

"Oh. Well, still—I can hurt you!" She made a fist and narrowed her eyes at me, and I laughed and kissed her on the top of her head as I rose to leave.

I strode down the hall, turning things over in my mind and trying to decide what I wanted to say to Reid.

But when I went back to the waiting room, he was gone.

I hoped that maybe he'd headed off to the hospital cafeteria or was waiting for me down the hall, but I knew better. I went outside and looked around, but of course he wasn't there.

I began walking.

I'm not the kind of fellow who spends a lot of time weighing things out—mostly, I know what I want, I know how to get it, and that's it, case closed, that's all she wrote. Once it's done, you can't change my mind.

But then I met Spencer Reid. And his damn sweet little devious wife.

Now I was about as confused as a chicken in a pillow factory. Night was coming on, people were coming home from work, delicious smells from open windows wafted through the air, and I just kept walking, not even thinking about where I was going. It took me a few blocks to realize I was headed to Reid's apartment; I could have hailed a cab, but I needed the time.

Once I finally got there, I'd worked it out. I knew what I had to say to him. I halfway ran up the stairs, found his door and knocked, and after a moment I heard him call, "Who's there?"

"It's me, Spence. Derek."

It took him a while. Finally, the door swung open, and he stood there holding a glass of brandy and a cigarette in one hand. He needed a shave; he was in his undershirt, and his suspenders were hanging limply off his shoulders like they'd been melted by heat and sorrow. He had a steely look in his eyes and he parked himself in the doorway, letting me know there was no way I was going to get past him and into his home without some fancy footwork.

"What do you want, Morgan?" he asked tiredly.

"Hey—may I come in?"

"I'd rather not. I'm busy."

"Uh-huh, I can see that. Come on, man. I looked for you back at the hospital but you'd already run off."

"Yeah, well, I really didn't want to have to say goodbye to you again."

He was looking at me steadily and I held his gaze. "I know. But, I didn't come here to say goodbye."

His eyebrows shot up and he gave me an incredulous look. "Hm. Now that's an interesting statement. Perhaps you should come in after all." He stepped aside and gestured at a bottle sitting on a side table. "May I offer you a little liquid hospitality?"

"Sure." I looked around; I'd never been in his apartment before. It was an old brownstone with battered furniture and dull beige walls, but I could detect feminine touches—cheerful curtains on the windows, a lace doily under a lamp, a hand-knitted throw on the couch. I could also see that it had been a while since the female in question had been in residence, judging by the coating of dust on the table and piles of books, and by the stack of dishes I spotted aging in the kitchen sink.

Reid filled a glass and handed it to me, and I settled into an overstuffed armchair across from his. He took what I was guessing was not the first sip of the night, and then fixed a hard stare on me.

"You know, I never took you for a cruel man."

"Excuse me?"

"It would've been kinder for you to head straight out of town once you knew Penelope was going to be okay than to stop in on me like this."

"I'm not being cruel—I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I love you."

Reid paused with his glass in mid-air, then he gave a derisive snort. "Odd thing to say." He went ahead and took another sip, and I took a long breath before responding.

"Odd?"

"Yes. I wouldn't expect a declaration of love from someone who hasn't so much as sent me a post card or made a phone call in the last several weeks."

"Reid, listen. I couldn't. I couldn't. My God, it... It hurt so much to stay away, but if I'd have heard your voice? It would have killed me."

"No one said you had to stay away," Reid said quietly.

"Your vows said it. I said it. But..." I threw back a slug of my drink and let the burn slide down my throat. Once it had eased into a warm throbbing, I said, "But I was wrong about something."

Reid laughed.

"Good lord, this is getting more and more intriguing. Here, have another shot." He poured me another, and then he asked, "All right, I'll bite. What were you wrong about?"

"Penny."

"Penny? What do you mean?" He got a refill for himself, then leaned back in his chair and gave me a bewildered look. I stared up at the ceiling and pursed my lips, taking a moment to compose my thoughts. The brandy gave me a hand with that, and I found myself speaking without any effort at all.

"I'm selfish. I wanted you all to myself. You having a wife kind of threw some water on that idea. But there was something else. Penny—I thought she was delicate, even weak. I thought she counted on you for her strength; I thought that coming between the two of you would hurt her. I wouldn't want to do that to anyone, much less someone with her sweet soul. But today, I found out I was wrong." I shook my head, still amazed by the lady. "She's got iron balls, that one."

Reid chuckled. "You're telling me? But what did she say to convince you of that?"

"You know why she moved in with Emily?"

"Of course. Emily's the one needing strength; she never got over being kidnapped and tortured. Penelope wanted to take care of her."

"That what she told you?"

"More or less. I may have inferred a bit of it, but—what?"

I was shaking my head. "No, man. She left you so you'd be free to be with me."

Reid frowned. "That's ridiculous. She knew I'd never run out on her when she was expecting."

"No, but she figured she'd be able to convince you to get in touch with me and that we'd manage to work things out. But, the trial came up and everyone got distracted and... Well, trust me, kid. Now I understand—Penelope's going to be just fine."

He looked thoughtful as he swirled the honey-colored liquid in his glass. His lips twisted into a cynical grin. "And what about having me to yourself? How long could you stand it, knowing I'd have to take off in the middle of the night to be with her when the baby comes, or if she were to get sick?"

"I'll take what you can give—and it'll be enough."

"So, what are you saying?" he asked quietly.

"I think maybe Gideon might still be interested in having me join his unit. If not, Hotch told me he's got a job for me anytime I want. I thought maybe I'd check in with them. I'll flop at the Y for a few days, see about finding a place downtown in case something pans out."

"You'd move here?"

"Yeah."

"To be with me?"

I nodded. "If you'll have me."

"You know I won't divorce her."

"I know."

"And you're in agreement with that? With me being a married man?"

"Yes." I grinned. "I told you, Penny says it's all jake. What more do I need?"

Reid laughed a little; then he dropped his gaze to the floor. The lamp cast a shadow on his face, making it hard to read his expression. But when he looked up, he was smiling.

I felt like the hand that had been squeezing my heart for so long had finally eased up. I smiled too; at last I could breathe.

"I need you to forgive me, pretty boy. What do you say?" I stood up and held my hands out to him. He stared up at me for a long moment. At last, he put his drink down and his hands in mind. I tugged and he stood up, and we looked into each other's eyes.

"Damn it, Derek, there's nothing to forgive. You were just doing what you thought was right. But..."

"But what?"

"I want to be sure you understand—I'm going to be a father. Penny and I are going to share the rearing of our child. You realize what that means, right? Dirty diapers, crying, a toddler running around and getting into everything. No sleep, no privacy—"

"I want that. I want all of that, as long as it's with you."

"I can't put you first."

"I wouldn't expect you to." I pulled him close to me. "You remember what I said, oh, about five minutes ago?"

A deep grin crossed his face. "You said you loved me."

"Yeah. I love you. I'll take you any way I can get you—if you feel the same for me."

He pursed his lips and nodded.

I gave him a disapproving look. "You going to say it out loud, or do I have to use my imagination?"

"I-I love you." It came out as a whisper, as if he were afraid to say it.

"I'm sorry, must be losing my hearing. What was that again?"

"I said I love you!"

"Oh, yeah? One more time?"

"Derek—I love you, damn it. I love you."

Then I kissed him.